Gardening Newsletter

Winter is the best time to prune roses to set up bountiful blooms later in the year. This annual task is crucial for overall rose health--from stimulating vigorous growth to preventing common fungal diseases. While most modern roses need winter pruning, hold off on varieties like rambling roses,…

Here is a question that came to the gardening advice teamQ: I planted a cover crop in my community garden plot and left it longer than I should have. There are now weeds mixed in with the cover crop blend. I’m not sure what I should do. If there are weeds mixed in with the beneficial plants I’m guessing I…

 Spring is finally upon us and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. All this sunshine & spring showers have me thinking about my vegetable garden. I already have some seeds in the ground, but I want to keep planting more.The other day while strolling through the local garden center my eyes…

 Tomatoes are the single most popular summer garden edible crop grown in the US. Vine-ripened tomatoes, juicy and flavorful and still sun-warm, often barely even resemble what is sold in our markets.However, because the climates can vary so much in our geographic region--from daily fog banks (cool…

Home gardeners in our area have approached our gardening help line with concerns about potential heavy metal contamination in soil following the Moss Landing battery fire. Many are wondering whether their fruits and vegetables may absorb metals such as cobalt, cadmium, nickel, manganese, zinc, and…